GAFCon 9 update - 25 June 2008 (Excerpt)
Redeemed to
worship – the Rev David Short
God redeems us from enslavement to sin, not so we can
do anything we like, but so that we may be free to serve Him as exemplified by
the Exodus account. This was the core of the message at the Wednesday morning
exposition by the Rev David Short, rector of St John's Shaughnessy, the largest
Anglican congregation in Canada.
The book of
Exodus, he said, is about God fulfilling His purpose and promise through
redemption and deliverance. Redemption begins in slavery and ends in
experiencing the glory of God – as does the book of Exodus.
God redeems
us, said the Rev Short, so we can be free from slavery to sin, not free to do
as we please. The Biblical gospel demands transformation. "Let
my people go so they can worship Me." True freedom is freedom to
obey God. If we replace redemption with tolerance as some do today, then
it is no more a Gospel.
Photos from GAFCon
Photos have
been added to the ANiC website – with more to come:
To see enlarged photographs, go to:
http://anglicannetwork.ca/gafcon_062208_photos.htm
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GAFCon conference |
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Marilyn
Jacobson
Anglican
Network in
Office:
1-866-351-2624 ext 4020 OR 604 929-0369
Cell:
604 788-4222
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2.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ANiC
Communications <mjacobson@anglicannetwork.ca>
Date: Thu,
GAFCon update –
We serve the King of
Kings
Our master is not in
Doing a Bible exposition
on 'The King of God' (from 2 Samuel 7:1-17), Roberts emphasized that our Master
is the Lord in Heaven above. He made three points:
1. Rulers are chosen by the Lord Himself. (2 Samuel 7).
2. Christ
the King is descended from David, as is shown in the very first lines of the
New Testament – which opens with the genealogy of Jesus. David was a vessel for
God, which showed that the Lord uses the ordinary to fulfill His purposes.
3. Thirdly, the King of Kings is enthroned to reign forever.
The session began with enthusiastic worship led by the
Mothers Union choir of
"The
women expressed such joy and were so uplifting. The colour, the sound, the
feeling in the entire room was wonderful," said American pilgrim Joy
Gwaltney.
"Jesus was a
businessman. He was a craftsman. He and His [earthly] Father run a family
business. He worked with His hands to provide for His family." Entrepreneur Dr Kim Tan (
Dr
Tan, together with Jerry Marshall and Andrew Tanswell, introduced
Transformational Business Network (TBN), a British-based organisation that
networks businesspeople with a burden to transform lives – using their business
talent to help the poor by creating jobs, building skills and providing
capital, and giving hope and dignity. TBN sets up businesses, finds markets and
invests. TBN has written a business guide in
Collin
Timms, a Bangalore-based banker, told how he started Guardian Bank without any
personal capital. "Anyone can start a bank. The heavy regulation actually
makes it easy because it means that the manuals have told you what to
do."
For more information
see: www.tbnetwork.org and www.tbnetworkportal.org.
Bishop Akao asserts authority of Scripture
Bishop John
Akao (
Bishop Akao also
clarified the true Anglican position on how Christians know what to
believe. The triad of Scripture, tradition, and reason – popularly
attributed to Anglican theologian and pastor Richard Hooker – is helpful, he
said, only if understood in the way that Hooker and Anglicans have
traditionally understood it. "It is Scripture first, tradition second and
reason third. They have to feed each other, but nothing should be put over
scripture," said Bishop Akao.
Conference DVDs and CDs
Conference DVDs and CDs
can be purchased at the Vered(travel agent) table. This includes DVDs
and/or CDs of each day's plenary and worship sessions (at $5 US each) as well
as a DVD of highlights of the entire conference (at $15 each) which will be
mailed out in the weeks following the conference. These can also be
ordered online at www.gafcon.org. Spread the word…
Marilyn
Jacobson
Anglican
Network in
Office:
1-866-351-2624 ext 4020 OR 604 929-0369
Cell:
604 788-4222
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3.
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Update on GAFCON
Statement Progress |
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Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi, of the Anglican Church of Kenya,
spoke to the press on Thursday, June 28 about the progress and content of the
Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) Statement. While not in final form, there is already general agreement
among pilgrims about a number of points. At GAFCON, there is a determination
to maintain the authority of scripture in the life of the Church, a profound
sadness about the current state of the Anglican Communion. Pilgrims also want
to see GAFCON develop into a long term movement instead of a one-time
conference, agree that more permanent structures need to be established for
faithful Anglicans who live in serve in provinces that have left the traditional
teachings of scripture, and desire to continue to reach out to other
Anglicans. Every pilgrim has had multiple opportunities to provide
concerns, hopes, and suggestions to the statement committee throughout the
week. The first draft of the statement will be read to all pilgrims on
Friday, June 27. The statement will be finalized before GAFCON ends on June
29. Archbishop Nzimbi’s complete remarks follow “We continue the process of discernment whereby every voice
has been given the opportunity to be heard. This means we are still in the
process of developing our final statement. Some themes, however, are
emerging: 1.
There is a passion for the Gospel, a determination to stay
true to the Bible, to continue the work of mission and to do so as Anglicans. 2.
There is a profound sadness about the current state of the
Anglican Communion and a sense of betrayal and abandonment by the exiting
leadership and communion structures. 3.
There is a determination to build on the experience of GAFCON
and see it become a movement and not simply a moment. 4.
There is recognition that for this movement to continue to
develop it will require an agreed theological framework and appropriate
structures to sustain its growth. 5.
There is also agreement that more permanent structures need to
be established for those faithful Anglicans who live and serve in provinces
that have abandoned the traditional teaching of the Bible. 6.
There is a genuine desire to continue to reach out to other
Anglicans around the Communion who share our common faith so that we can grow
in our witness to the world of God’s transforming power. |
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4.
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Wednesday was a meaningful and memorable day for GAFCON
delegates with a visit to the first Anglican church built in the Pilgrims first heard about the miraculous founding of
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Mr Raphael Ben-Hur, senior deputy
director-general in the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, welcomed this first major
gathering of Anglicans in
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GAFCON delegates were clearly moved
by the pilgrimage. “It touched me deeply,” said Hans Breekvolt ( |
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“It was very moving to be in the
place where we believe Peter preached his first sermon and the church was
founded – to go back to our “roots” for refreshment,” said the Rev Keith
Stodart ( |
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“I was reminded of people coming to
Jesus for His healing touch,” said Mrs Grace Adeyemi ( |
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5.
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Reconciliation
between Israeli and Palestinian Christians Topic at GAFCON Sessions |
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Noted ecumenical scholar Dr. Lamin Sanneh and local Christian
leaders Dr. Salim Y. Muyaner and the Rev. Evan Thomas spoke about and modeled
reconciliation through the Gospel to GAFCON pilgrims on Wednesday, June 25. Muyaner is the founder of Musalaha, a ministry of
reconciliation which strives to bring together Palestinian Christians and
Israeli Messianic Jews. Founded in 1990, Musalaha builds relationships among
Palestinian and Israeli followers of Jesus through desert retreats,
reconciliation workshops and other activities. Muyaner and Thomas made it clear just how difficult
reconciliation is between Israelis and Palestinians. “The realities of the
situation in the Palestinian Christians are in a particularly hard position,
said Muyaner. As Palestinians, they are seen as the “other” by Israelis. As
Christians, they are outside of the mainstream of the larger Palestinian
community. Living as a Christian in this region means dealing with immediate
questions that few other believers have to face. “What would Jesus do if he
had to go through an army checkpoint daily?” asked Muyaner. Thomas agreed. He spoke of the temptation to “erect a dividing
wall” between fellow Christians in cultural conflict. He related his own
thoughts as Both Thomas and Muyaner pointed to the cross of Jesus Christ
as the only possible basis for reconciliation between Israeli and Palestinian
followers of Jesus. Not only did Jesus die to reconcile all people to God,
but also to reconcile people to each other. Thomas quoted 1 John 4:20. “If
someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar.” In Christ, “The need of Palestinians for justice will be met
and the need of Jews for hope will be met,” said Muyaner. Sanneh, the D. Willis James Professor of Missions and World
Christianity and professor of history at Sanneh discussed the connection between language and religious
belief. “There is nothing that God wants to say to us that is so profound, so
elevated that it cannot be expressed in normal, everyday language to ordinary
people.” He also spoke in support of GAFCON. “GAFCON I am absolutely
convinced… is part of the wave of the future. You in this community have a
tremendous responsibility to link with movements that are also taking place
in Europe and America. GAFCON will then create a family of God that
transcends nationality and language.” |
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6.
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8496
JERUSALEM: No Split from Communion but New Permanent Structures in
Place
Posted
by David Virtue on 2008/6/26 11:50:00 (1890
reads)
JERUSALEM: No Split from Communion but New
Permanent Structures in Place
By David W. Virtue in Jerusalem
www.virtueonline.org
6/26/2008
Leaders of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), in a preliminary
statement, say that while there will be no formal split from the Anglican
Communion, permanent structures are being put into place to be true to the
Bible, to continue the work of mission and to do so as Anglicans.
Kenya Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi said that the Archbishop of Canterbury and the
four Instruments of Unity had "betrayed and abandoned" the Anglican Communion
and therefore new structures are necessary.
"GAFCON is a movement, not a moment in time. We need an agreed upon
theological framework and appropriate structures to sustain its growth into the
future. Permanent structures will be put in place to sustain its growth."
The leaders recognize the need for a new North American province "for
faithful Anglicans who live in provinces that have abandoned the traditional
teaching of the Bible."
The statement concluded by saying that GAFCON leaders will reach out to other
Anglicans around the Communion "who share our common faith".
Asked by VOL if the Queen of England, as the supreme Governor of the Church of
England, had been approached about worsening conditions in the Anglican
Communion and the possibility of a new structure being formed, Archbishop
Nzimbi replied that GAFCON leaders are not fighting the Queen.
"We respect the Queen, but the present structures have departed from the
traditions of the Church of England and so when those structures have betrayed
us, we need to say we must wait on it. We need to go back to what we have
received."
Asked about possible names for this future entity, Nzimbi simply said GAFCON.
Another source said Global Anglican Conference.
Questioned about homosexuality, panel member Dr. John Akao, a bishop from
Nigeria, said both the Old Testament and New Testament forbade it. "We
cannot practice that which is not allowed. It is repugnant to the
Scriptures." He also said, in answer to a question about who was financing
whom, that provinces would be self-supporting.
Nzimbi said every pilgrim has had multiple opportunities to provide concerns,
hopes, and suggestions to the statement committee throughout the week.
The first draft of the statement will be read to all pilgrims on Friday, June
27. The statement will be finalized before GAFCON ends on June 29.
GAFCON leaders say they will meet again in two years to reflect and expand on
the structures.
END
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7.
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8492 JERUSALEM: P
JERUSALEM: Pittsburgh Bishop Sees North American Orthodox Province
Soon
Posted
by David Virtue on 2008/6/26 4:20:00 (2277
reads)
JERUSALEM: Pittsburgh Bishop Sees North American
Orthodox Province Soon
News Analysis
By David W. Virtue in Jerusalem
June 25, 2008
Good News is coming
for North American orthodox Episcopalians. A new province is on the way. It is
only a matter of time now before it comes into existence.
The "separate
ecclesiastical structure in North America", called for at Kigali by the
Global South Primates in November 2006, is not far off, the Rt. Rev. Robert
Duncan wrote in a paper delivered to pre-GAFCON theological leaders in Amman,
Jordan.
Drawing upon the
history of North American efforts to establish an orthodox beach head in the
U.S. Duncan noted that when founded in 2003, the Network of Anglican Communion
Dioceses and Parishes (Anglican Communion Network, or just The Network)
proclaimed the vision of "a biblical, missionary and united Anglicanism in
North America."
"We were given clarity that our work was to
connect all the orthodox together, whether still inside the Episcopal Church
or, increasingly, outside in various fragments as rescue efforts were
undertaken by various Anglican Provinces. Local circumstances and missionary
relationships were producing Rwandan, Ugandan, Nigerian, Kenyan and Southern
Cone enclaves all across the continent. It was also clear that several of the
historically separated Anglican bodies - the "Continuing Churches"
and Reformed Episcopal Church - shared the same Faith as all the rest of
us."
The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson, President of the American Anglican Council and
a CANA (Nigerian) bishop, believes that it is more accurately a proto Province
one that will bring together the multiple Anglican affiliations that are spread
across the country that will, in time, become a full blown province. "We
are moving inexorably in that direction. It is no longer a matter of if but
when," he told VOL. Given the ever-growing population of American
Anglicans under overseas jurisdictions, two issues have emerged: First, since
Anglican congregations in some of our major cities are under different
Episcopal jurisdictions, how will they work together? If these congregations
find a way to serve together for the sake of serving their regions, then
mission and evangelism will flourish. However, if they do not find ways to
collegially work together to serve their regions, then these congregations will
never get beyond being chaplaincies to those who choose to affiliate with them.
Secondly, a more serious issue arises which is that if a new, national Anglican
province is actually formed, then who, if necessary, will be willing to lay
down his claim to episcopacy for the sake of the visible and structural unity
of this new province? How flexible will these new bishops (and the archbishops
they serve) be for the sake of reaching the United States with the Gospel? Or,
to put it negatively, how stuck will this new province be in old TEC models
that are committed to maintaining personal and structural power, no matter what
the cost?
While there are no simple answers to these questions there will be much sorting
and sifting out about who will or will not belong to such a proto province.
Will the issue of those who are willing to ordain women to the priesthood
continue to be a stumbling block to those who theologically refuse to accept
the legitimacy of such ordinations?
Can evangelicals who ordain women and those who don't coexist comfortably with
Anglo-Catholics who steadfastly see this as a profoundly theological
communion-compromising issue and not just a pastoral one? Time will tell.
Will the newly formed Anglican Network in Canada throw their lot in with such a
province? There seems no reason why they shouldn't.
One thing is for certain, the face and landscape of North American Anglicanism
has changed forever. There is no going back, there will be no faux
reconciliation, no leaving the lights on in the hope that the "lost"
will make their way back to 815 Second Ave., rending their miters and cassocks
in sackcloth and ashes asking for forgiveness. That day too, is done. More
dioceses are ready to flee TEC's ecclesiastical embrace after the Lambeth
Conference convinced that Episcopal Church leaders have gone astray.
Evangelicals/Anglo-Catholics and liberal/revisionists are on two different
planets. There will be no intersecting of opinions, no more polite
"conversation" or "listening". This GAFCON gathering is
living witness to that. Defiance and rebellion against the moral order is written
deeply into the warp and woof of The Episcopal Church. That will not change.
General Convention 2009 will reinforce and enshrine the new Episcopal religion
forever. Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola has called them
"apostates" and so they are. Gene Robinson's ecclesiastical imprint
and DNA is forever enshrined in the body of Episcopal Church history. There is
no way orthodox folk will have any truck with him. It is over. A new province
is aborning.
All that remains to be seen is how this will play out. Even if no formal
declaration of a new communion is announced here, GAFCON will encourage North
Americans to move forward in order to be proper stewards of money and
resources. Bishop Robert Duncan and Common Cause Partnership leaders are
looking for legitimacy and a stamp of approval from key GAFCON leaders who are
themselves Primates and, I am told, they will get it. The face of North
American Anglicanism has changed forever, it only remains to be seen now how
the bigger picture emerges.
END
READERS' COMMENTS
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Posted: 2008/6/26
11:31 Updated: 2008/6/26 11:31 |
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Re: JERUSALEM: Pittsburgh
Bishop Sees North American Orth... "It is only a matter of
time now before it [new province] comes into existence." Having always been the family
optimist, call me a skeptic on this. I remain prayerful, but I'll believe it
when I see it. What I do foresee is the
continued slow departure of parishes and dioceses to be under foreign or
domestic mission operations for a long time to come. I do hope I am wrong. |
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Posted: 2008/6/26
12:07 Updated: 2008/6/26 12:13 |
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Home away from home |
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Re: JERUSALEM: Pittsburgh
Bishop Sees North American Orth... Quote: What I do foresee is the
continued slow departure of parishes and dioceses to be under foreign or
domestic mission operations for a long time to come. I'm afraid that you are probably
right. However, I do think what needs
to happen is an establishment of a missionary jurisdiction overseen by a
panel of foreign bishops. It does need to be organized under one umbrella
instead of multiple, overlaping jurisdictions. As it is Anglicanism is looking
like the ecclesiastical equivalent of the Oklahoma landrun. I am hesitant to see the a new,
autonomous, province just turned loose. I know there are many who, for
various reasons, are chomping at the bit for such a thing but I do not
believe this is wise. There needs to be a laying of a new groundwork of
establishing consistancy on doctrine and worship. - Canons need to be established
(and I am beginning to think that there needs to be a global set of canons) - Seminary curriculum needs to
be reviewed and corrected. In addition, teachers at these seminaries need to
be scrutinized. - a pattern for godly church
discipline MUST be established. Otherwise, all this will be for
naught when the new province becomes like the old one in a few decades. As our
Lord taught, you do not pour new wine into old wine skins. Therefore, there
needs to be a renewal of the mind among the leadership as well as laity when
it comes to how tings are done and why they are done. It took over 70 years to bring
the Episcopal Church to apostasy and it will not be solved with one meeting.
Neither will it be solved in a matter of a year. |
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Posted: 2008/6/26
12:42 Updated: 2008/6/26 12:42 |
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Re: JERUSALEM: Pittsburgh
Bishop Sees North American Orth... Sentinel, Some good observations. As much as I would like to see a
NA Province ASAP, I think to rush into that would do nothing but divert
energy from resolving the real root issues attendant to such a structure. Wish as some might, the issue of
women's ordination is not going to go away and to avoid it will only leave us
in the same type of conflicted life we have today. This is a bedrock issue. I
will not accept WO and will not be part of an organization that practices it.
There are many more like me so if a NA Province is formed that either accepts
this or is ambivalent, where does that leave us? This is not the only issue,
however. There are issues of serial monogamy (divorce and remarriage), real
presence, confessional vs. counciliar view and many others. Traditional continuers have been
by themselves for a hundred years so why should they compromise their
position to join a province that does not accept their position? Why should
those of us who are leaving TEc accept a partial "victory"? I think we need some serious
discussion, though and planning as to what type of group will be formed, upon
what principles, under what canons, and under what operating and
administrative structure. I would not be surprised,
myself, to see more than one group because I do not believe that the "beliefs"
of the broad range of concepts people refer to as "orthodox" can be
accomodated in one organization. Lord guide and direct our
thoughts. Let us clearly hear you word in our hearts and minds. Give us
courage to follow you. |
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Posted: 2008/6/26 |
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Home away from home |
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Re: I agree with the previous posts.
I have been saying for many months that our new province is in the process of
being born. Yes, there are some problems
which will need to be resolved, such as women's ordination and the prayer
book, but they CAN be taken care of. This will take time and
patience, which, unfortunately, seems to be in short supply these days. This has been a long time
coming, and we must show patience and perseverance. Remember: God is at work
here....and we must never allow ourselves to lose sight of that fact! Cennydd |
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Posted: 2008/6/26 |
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Home away from home |
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Re: There will have to be two camps.
One with WO and one without WO. There are plenty of people for both camps. We
aren't going to be able to work around WO. Those of us who oppose it will not
give in on that point, not should we. Bishop Duncan is an awesome man but
until he stops ordaining women, I will have to pass until we have a structure
for Anglo-Catholics. I am done compromising. |
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8.
Misunderstanding GAFCON
This global gathering of Anglicans is proving impossible to
characterize--at least for now.
Timothy C. Morgan
Some 1100 Anglicans from around the world are
meeting this week at the Renaissance hotel in
But this conference, now entering its fifth
day, is in many respects becoming more difficult to understand and thus easier
to misinterpret.
If I were writing purely a critique of the
mainstream media coverage, my central criticism would be that US and
It's easy to do. The folks attending the worship
events of GAFCON are telling me that these are high water marks in their own
spiritual development. Most worship events are well attended and the plenary
sessions are standing room only.
I am told the worship service on Wednesday
evening at
But the media are not the only ones who are
misunderstanding GAFCON. Among conservatives, no surprise, I am coming across
three different kinds of Anglicans here who often don't understand each other
very well. Let me describe them this way:
* The separationists. These individuals wish
to create a new Anglican Communion that is global, not centered in
* The reformers. These folks are not yet ready
to give up on the existing Anglican Communion and have a movement strategy for
redeeming and restoring the Communion.
* The new paradigm. This is the trickiest one
to understand. Under a new paradigm, Anglicanism becomes a global network,
locally distinctive, church or community-based, and centered on the biblical
mission of evangelism and discipleship.
One new reality of GAFCON is that the
discussions here across the Anglican food chain from the Primates to the small
groups of lay and parish clergy have moved beyond "The American
Problem," which is The Episcopal Church, its bitterly hostile actions
against conservatives, and the advent of homosexual clergy and same-sex unions.
Bishop Bob Duncan, the American conservative leader from
Last night, scholar Lamin Sanneh, Palestinian
Christian Salim Munayer, and Messianic pastor Evan Thomas pointed GAFCON
Anglicans toward a future that was global, reconciling, and biblical. Years
from now, we might find that the only English element left in 21st century
Anglicanism is the English language itself.
In my mind, the questions of the hour before
the committee drafting a GAFCON statement are these:
What will the drafting committee emphasize?
Will they lay the groundwork for a new communion? Will they map out a process
of Anglican Communion reform? Or, will they envision a new kind of Anglicanism
that is post-colonial, not nationalistic, but conciliar, global, and networked?
Tomorrow, GAFCON small groups are due to
evaluate the statement in draft form.
Posted by
Tim Morgan on
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9a.
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/13695/
GREG GRIFFITH
Last Men Standing: What Now from GAFCON?
Now, roughly 200 bishops, mainly from
So it appears that the GAFCON poobahs have
sequestered themselves to write the conference's final communiqué, and here we
all are (well, some of us anyway), playing the now-familiar game of
wait-and-see-what-the-Anglicans-say.
By now, what should also be familiar is hearing,
from the Stand Firm bloggers at least, the warning not to set your expectations
too high. Actually, that should read: Not to set your expectations high at all.
In fact, whenever we're talking about statements drafted by a committee, on
which bishops sit, the best advice is to look at your expectations knob very
carefully, ensure that it's in working order, and dial it down to its lowest
setting.
Scattered reports coming out of
Disagreement between fed-con and com-cons is
nothing new; neither is disagreement about what an Anglican communiqué should
contain. The real question for GAFCON is: Will there be a ‘plan' at all?
We've already been given The Way, the Truth and the
Life; we know where the conference attendees stand theologically, and I think
it's safe to say that none of us has any problem with that document. But we've
also been given statement after statement that GAFCON is not an alternative to
Lambeth, not a boycott mechanism, and that the conservative primates and
bishops gathering in
However.
Christopher
Johnson
points out:
For all intents and
purposes, the Anglican split many of us hoped for has happened.
Let's be honest. The
Americans and Canadians are going to continue to defy the Windsor Report. And
Global South bishops are going to continue to pick off American and Canadian
conservative parishes in defiance of the Windsor Report.
And nothing will
happen to any of them.
Dr. Williams has not
withdrawn Lambeth Conference invitations to anybody. So we're left to conclude
that violations of Anglican pronouncements(Lambeth resolutions, the Windsor
Report or anything else) carry no penalty.
Ever.
Therefore Rowan Williams
and the other Anglican "instruments of unity" are irrelevant,
Anglicans are officially free to do anything they want and Anglicanism is
officially meaningless. The Anglican Communion is dead.
So what? So this. My
gracious lord of
But of course, Lambeth will not be confrontational
at all, except perhaps to the extent that the revisionist fringe engages in
protest over the Anglican church's "intolerance" toward gays and
lesbians by way of their theater of the absurd, starting with Gene Robinson's
various appearances, and no doubt featuring cameos by Colin Coward and Davis
Mac-Iyalla and similar types.
Johnson goes on to say:
If Williams doesn't,
conservative Anglicans are going to be begin to remake the Anglican tradition
in whatever way they wish regardless of what the Archbishop has to say about
it. The gap between liberal and conservative Anglicans will grow into an
unbridgeable chasm and Dr. Williams or one of his successors will eventually
find themselves the holders of a title that has no power and even less
influence in Anglican affairs.
Let me go Christopher one better, and say that
Rowan Williams has already surrendered whatever power may have been resident in
the office of Archbishop of Canterbury - and it was never much to begin with,
really. When Williams issued Lambeth invitations to precisely the people whom
the Windsor Report said should excuse themselves from such bodies; and let
Tanzania's September 30 "deadline" pass without so much as a whimper,
he once and for all settled the question of whether he, and perhaps the See of
Canterbury itself, will ever again possess anything resembling power over
Anglican affairs. The answer was an unequivocal ‘no.'
The histories of the American presidency, the
English monarchy, and the Roman emperors, just for starters, are case studies
in the axiom that power is like a muscle, and it must be exercised or else it
will die. Those histories show that the power in, and influence of, the offices
wax and wane according to the man who occupies it and the peculiar situations
in which his nation finds itself, so it's certainly conceivable that the nature
of power office of Archbishop may one day evolve into something more than
merely titular; but in the hands of Rowan Williams, it's hard to see how it is
anything other than doomed.
The problem with the office of ABC is that, unlike
our other examples, the Anglican Communion is a weak alliance to begin with,
and has not proved itself to be terribly good at self-repair. The fortunes of
robust nations with treasure and land to protect, and military might to
project, tend not to rise and fall in lockstep with a particular leader's
talents or ability to exercise his power. When strong emperors, kings and
presidents coincide with certain moments in history, nations can certainly be
catapulted into greatness they didn't previously enjoy, but they don't seem to
be so vulnerable in the opposite direction; Lord knows
But the power of the Archbishop of Canterbury
derives almost entirely from the influence and reach of the church over which
he presides. The ABC wields no military power; he commands no expansive
fortune. Three centuries ago, being the established church of the
Rowan Williams' dithering throughout the greatest
crisis in the church's history - punctuated by moments of aggressive
incoherence such as the sub-group report in Tanzania, and the issuing of
Lambeth invitations last summer - has allowed, indeed probably hastened, the
split in the communion. The result - the estrangement of half the world's
Anglicans, located mainly in Africa - will mean a See of Canterbury whose scope
is once again back to that mainly of England and three of its white, western
former colonies; and it won't even enjoy the loyalty of all the Anglicans in
those places, as sizeable minorities begin doing in micro what the Global South
is now doing in macro: Going about the business of disregarding what Canterbury
wants and says, and as Christopher writes, "remaking the Anglican
tradition in whatever way they wish." They won't be the first, though.
Disregarding Canterbury's advice - in all its forms, from the casual to the
formal, advisory to legalistic - is precisely what revisionists in America and
Canada have been doing for the last few decades (the last five years
especially) and what has triggered this schism.
The time is past for anyone to be asking,
"What will the Archbishop of Canterbury do?" It no longer matters
what he does. Even if he were to do an about-face, realize that he is staring
the death of the global communion in the face, and make the hard choices
necessary even to have a chance at saving it… what do we really think would
happen? Do we really think the Episcopal Church would fold their tent, say
"That's that, then… au revoir, Anglicans!" Do we really think that
the ACO wouldn't ratchet up its schemes to defeat whatever discipline
threatened to be imposed on 815? Do we really think that anything would be
terribly different from the way it is now?
At any rate, we don't have to speculate about what
Rowan Williams might do, because we have the long, sad history of what
he has done as our guide to what he will do in the future.
He called together the primates in October 2003.
They signed a stern warning. Frank Griswold returned to serve as chief
consecrator for Gene Robinson. What was William's response?
He impaneled the Lambeth Commission, which
eventually produced the Windsor Report. It contained some very precise
recommendations, around which the Anglican Communion Office and 815 promptly
began maneuvering, and successfully so. When it was clear that the Episcopal
Church intended to drag its feet indefinitely on responding, what was William's
response?
He stepped back while the primates at Dromantine
made it very clear what
In
In summer 2007, he went ahead and issued
invitations to Lambeth, to all of the bishops who had consecrated Gene Robinson
- thereby dealing a death blow simultaneously to
Now, roughly 200 bishops, mainly from
But would it have been much different had Williams
not invited them? I submit that the answer is ‘no.' Whether membership in the
communion is technically defined as attending Lambeth, or receiving an
invitation to attend, amounts to so many angels on the head of a pin. It really
doesn't matter whether +Akinola, +Orombi, +Kolini or +Nzimbi received
invitations to Lambeth. They're not going. It hardly makes a difference
to the real-world meaning of an Anglican communion whether +Rowan actually
wants them there. And frankly, he doesn't care whether they attend or not.
And so, here we are. A fourth of a global church's
bishops not attending its flagship gathering, and a host archbishop who
couldn't give a damn.
There are no more "what ifs," folks.
There's no more value in pondering whether the communion might split, or what
it would look like if it did. There's no sense in speculating what lies
"over there," beyond the schism. We're already "over
there." This is it. Chaos, disorder, disunity, and no indication that
anyone has any authority to do anything about it, much less the will to do so
even if the authority existed. There is no other shoe that's going to drop, so
if you're still waiting for it, stop.
Early on, I described the Windsor Report as
"an attempt by a church that is held together by trust, to deal with a
member it has decided it can no longer trust." That attempt has failed,
because all egalitarian organizations - and like it or not, that's what the
Anglican Communion really is - are only as stable and coherent as their least
stable and coherent members. In our case, that happens to be the
"church" that has declared homosexual behavior a holy thing, gives
its unqualified support to abortion up to partial-birth, and denies the
uniqueness of the savior on whose Word it was once founded, and who made it
very clear that He was the only way to the Father. Along the way, the
Archbishop of Canterbury enabled, coddled, and covered up for this
"church," and in the process he has made himself irrelevant.
Now the question of relevance turns to the primates
gathered in
If they don't intend to announce a formal split,
what exactly was the point of GAFCON? Was it simply to underscore the fact that
they're unhappy with the way things are? With all due respect, gentlemen, we've
known that. It didn't take GAFCON to make that clear.
Was it a trial run to see which primates and
bishops were ready to support which kind of plan? If so, I cannot imagine a
bigger roll of the dice at this point in the crisis. Have they really gathered
in
Was it to "try on" a replacement for
Lambeth - to see what it would "feel like" to go it alone? There's
value in that, I suppose, but not for an event that was at first rumored to be
the alternative Lambeth, the bona-fide split, then not, then something else,
then something else again.
At this point, GAFCON's leaders need to announce
what they intend to do on the big questions: Are they staying, or are they
going? If they're going, then what are the next concrete steps to cutting ties
with the old communion and setting up a new one? If they're staying, what are
the next concrete steps to carving out a meaningful - and honorable - place to
exist within it, and to reforming the whole into something we can, if not be
proud of in our lifetimes, at least have reason to hope that our children and
grandchildren might one day be proud of?
If they're staying, what is to be done about the
American and Canadian revisionists currently running their provinces? Are we
simply to ignore their heretical antics, while trying as best we can to
"differentiate" ourselves? By what means are we to achieve that
differentiation? Is it structural? And what does "structure" mean
anymore, anyway? GAFCON leaders wrote that they're not interested in unity if
it means surrendering the Gospel; at what point does their tolerance of TEC
heresy become surrender?
One thing GAFCON leaders could do is realize -
indeed, embrace - the idea that the lack of consequences for
"prophetic" actions, which seems to be the rule of the day in the
Anglican church, can work both ways. It could, if it wished, put some facts of
its own on the ground, especially here in
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9b.
MATT KENNEDY
GAFCON: Just Another Meeting?
If the groundwork for something along those lines emerges from GAFCON
then I think it will prove to be a most significant gathering, genuinely
historic, the beginning of a reformed and renewed Anglicanism. If it does not
then I think we may have come very nearly to the end of organized resistance.
If this meeting turns out to be another meeting wherein we are told to wait and
that no structural differentiation whatsoever is made; if we leave Jerusalem
with a nagging statement to the effect that the Archbishop must “Do Something”
and that in the meantime we will “obey scripture” and “plant churches”; if we
leave here having taught the ABC that we will never do anything more than meet
and whine and make “important statements” then GAFCON will have been a dramatic
failure. The Archbishop and his successors will know precisely how to deal with
us. We will have shown that when pushed to the brink we will blink; that we do
not have the will to act decisively; that GAFCON is a paper tiger, noisy but
harmless.
How quickly the press gaggle moves from one
conclusion to the next. Only days ago GAFCON was a gathering of hatefilled
schismatics. Now GAFCON is a collection of spineless girly-men who’ve lost
their nerve. Oh the drama of what to do when your carefully pre-written
storylines do not match the actual story. How to belittle on the fly? Ruth
Gledhill, having come with the expectation of witnessing and reporting a break
from
And quite what I am
going to write for the newspaper, now the schism story is receding, is also not
yet clear.
Here’s an idea: what say you observe and then
report what is happening. I know it’s crazy, but it just might work.
This is not to say that all is well here.
This conference certainly has its share of tension.
But since the leaders of GAFCON said clearly and plainly months ago that it was
not their intention to actually break communion with
The tension here, at least as I have observed it,
has to do primarily with the question of structural differentiation.
It would be an utter disaster of incalculable proportions,
in my view, to leave
Such a statement would clearly signal that GAFCON
was indeed “just another meeting”, a sort of Global Plano-style
"pep-rally" as someone said yesterday.
And there is some danger of that happening.
The brighter vision is that of a “Communion within
a Communion.”
If we might leave here with at least the
foundations laid for a new confessional and conciliar entity with its own
leadership, its own “instruments of communion”, its own process of decision-making
and discipline distinct from Canterbury then we will have created, or be well
along the path to creating, a cohesive entity capable of gathering, growing,
and empowering orthodox Anglicans that is not dependant upon the invitational
decisions of one man.
A growing, united, disciplined entity, led by men
and comprised of ecclesial bodies willing to act together independently of
Lambeth Palace; willing, for example, to recognize provincial entities not in
Communion with Canterbury that meet given confessional standards and unwilling
to recognize provinces that are in Communion with Canterbury but that don’t,
would make manifest a system of ecclesial order and discipline far more
effective than that which presently under-girds the Communion itself.
As Greg insightfully points out, what
Such a Communion within a Communion, united in
purpose, structure, and faith, would over time have the weight necessary to
influence and, ultimately, reform the more disorganized and confused whole.
If the groundwork for something along those lines
emerges from GAFCON then I think it will prove to be a most significant
gathering, genuinely historic, the beginning of a reformed and renewed
Anglicanism. If it does not then I think we may have come very nearly to the
end of organized resistance.
If this meeting turns out to be another meeting
wherein we are told to wait and that no structural differentiation whatsoever
is made; if we leave Jerusalem with a nagging statement to the effect that the
Archbishop must “Do something” and that in the meantime we will “obey
scripture” and “plant churches”; if we leave here having taught the ABC that we
will never do anything more than meet and whine and make “important statements”
then GAFCON will have been a dramatic failure. The Archbishop and his
successors will know precisely how to deal with us. We will have shown that
when pushed to the brink we will blink; that we do not have the will to act decisively;
that GAFCON is a paper tiger, noisy but harmless.
If reporters are looking for a cliff-hanger, there
it is.
Will the groundwork for a Communion within a
Communion be laid in
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Comments:
|
Well presumably
many of these journalists have justified their [not inexpensive] trips to I am not sure why
journalists think they have the right to run riot at this conference.
They were coralled at Dar and probably will be at Lambeth. The
ridiculous mis-reporting makes it clear that this is absolutely necessary. Isn’t the real
story that notwithstanding the institutional and lobby blocking and
denigration, that representatives of over half the world’s Anglicans are
meeting for Council? I would be inclined to wait to the end and final
statements [remember the flapping around at Dar before the Communique came?} |
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9c.
Expectations for GAFCON: Gadgetvicar in
As we get closer to the end of GAFCON,
questions turn to the communiqué that will be issued.
Gadgetvicar, a Scottish minister who is attending
has these thoughts...
GadgetvIcar
My name is David McCarthy, husband of Ms GadgetVicar (aka
Abby), and father of three children, who were born in 1991 (Matthew), 1994
(Caitlin) and 1996 (Molly).
Biography
I was born in 1963, lived in
Yesterday was very busy, and a lot of us are feeling quite
tired. Temperature was up at 36 degrees today.
This morning started with singing led by the formidable
ladies of the Mothers Union of Nigeria. It was exciting, colourful and
different from what we've had so far. A video interview with a Nigerian bishop
followed, who, while on the way here was delayed at
Vaughan Roberts gave a masterful exposition of 2 Samuel 7:
The Church is the House built by God. I found this very challenging. How
we need to be the people of God in the place which we find ourselves: obedient,
evangelistic and hopeful.
Here are some of the members of my
small group: Bishops Henry and
A conference statement is being worked on as I type. Small
groups are feeding their thoughts back to be sifted and deliberated upon. Some
people are hoping for much from this, perhaps too much. A new confessional
structure within the Anglican Communion might not be founded this week. I hope
it is. But if it isn't the story will only end here if we let it. The history
of God's people, is one of almost constant rebellion and unfaithfulness. The
challenge of the prophets is always one of obedience. That may be our calling.
We might be largely ignored. But we can continue to point the Church and the
world to Jesus, the Way the Truth and the Life.
Personally, I think we are at the start of something here.
A family has come together, relationships developed and understandings
deepened. At an institutional level, we must not expect too much. At a personal
and relational level, I think much is happening. My conversations
with bishops, clergy and lay people make me hopeful for the future. It may well
be that it is in these things that much of the fruit of this time together will
be born.
But it may be the statement will be stronger than I
anticipate. Strong enough to challenge us and the rest of the provinces of the
Anglican Communion to repentance? We'll know in a few days time.
We're just going into a session on "Enterprise
Approaches to Poverty". Tonight we're off to the Wailing Wall to pray.
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/13723/
We shall see.
I think GV's right - everything I'm
hearing from those who are there is that the sense of common purpose and
fellowship is strong indeed. But for many doing it tough in the States and
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10.
J.I. PACKER CALLS ON ROWAN WILLIAMS TO RESIGN
Posted
by David Virtue on 2008/6/25
J..I. PACKER CALLS ON ROWAN WILLIAMS TO RESIGN
By David W. Virtue in
www.virtueonline.org
A leading world orthodox Anglican theologian has called on the Archbishop of
Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams to resign because he has failed to uphold the
Church's teaching on human sexuality.
Speaking at Holy Trinity Eastbourne, England recently, Dr. J. I. Packer, author
of numerous books and a Professor of Theology at
(Resolution
Said a reporter for the London-based Church Times, "It was clear. Big Jim
said Rowan Williams should resign."
Dr. Packer recently had his license revoked by revisionist Anglican New
Westminster Bishop Michael Ingham. He is now officially aligned with the
Anglican Network in
At the meeting in
On Orthodoxy, Packer said that he sees this as a synonym for Evangelicalism,
which focuses on the teaching of the Bible (because it acknowledges the
authority of the Bible) and on the message of the Gospel (being based on Faith
and Repentance).
On Anglicanism, Packer highlighted two different views - those who saw
Anglicanism as being bound up with historical practices (defined by traditions)
and those who saw it being defined by principles contained in the Creeds,
Prayer Book, The 39 Articles etc. Packer made it clear he stood in the second
camp - Anglicanism is based on principles. He also stated that he believed
Anglicanism is "the richest version of Evangelicalism that the world has
seen".
On Liberalism, Packer used the 4 S's to define liberalism.
* Subordinates Scripture to the culture and individualistic Christian
experience
* Sanctifies the Secular
* Scales down the Supernatural
* Sweeps away Biblical Standards On Homosexuality.
He made it clear that he was talking about the practice and not the temptation.
Packer gave examples of temptations and how we should not yield to them,
including homosexual temptations. We should not yield to temptations because
these actions are defined as sin by the Bible, he said.
Dr. Packer gave an historical overview of the situation in the Canadian church,
its history, how it happened and how things stand now. He said that bishops are
no longer just theoretical heretics, but are heretics in practice. He referred
to Acts 27:27, where the apostle Paul stood faithful in the storm. He then used
this as a metaphor to speak of being faithful through the storm in the hope of
reaching land. Packer then asked: What is God doing to the Anglican Communion?
* Purging of liberalism
* Preparing faithful Anglicans for counter-cultural and enterprising mission
Question: What is the pattern of 'alternative oversight' doing to the Anglican
Communion?
* Drawing together a fellowship of the Orthodox
* Parallel jurisdictions are disrupting the traditional diocese/province model
Question: What are those who have 'realigned' to do now?
* Pioneer faithful Christian outreach * Renewal of teaching, mission and
discipleship Question: How should English Evangelicals react? * Watch and Pray
END
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11.
Breaking the bonds of communion
Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Post
Published:
Formal arrangements have yet to be made, but it now
appears that the critical decisions have already been taken for a dissolution
of the Anglican Communion. Every 10 years, all the world's Anglican bishops
meet at the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Many of those who are not attending Lambeth are in
That is a sadness for those, like myself, who have affection for the Anglican
sensibility. But sensibilities are not doctrines, and it cannot be the case
that members of the same communion can hold directly contradictory views on
matters of grave importance. The Canadian and American proponents of same-sex
marriages are arguing that homosexual acts can be morally good, and even
sacramental. The traditional Christian view is that such acts are sinful. That
is a gap that cannot be bridged: Either one holds to the ancient and constant
teaching of the Christian Church, or one rejects it in favour of a different
position. It cannot be that both views exist side-by-side as equally acceptable
options.
It is not a disagreement only about sexual morality. It goes deeper than
that, to what status the ancient and apostolic tradition has in the Church
today. There can be no doubt that the blessing of homosexual
relationships is entirely novel and in contradiction to the Christian
tradition. So if that tradition no longer holds, it raises questions about the
apostolicity of those communities which have abandoned it.
An additional sadness for Catholic and Orthodox Christians is that if
the Anglican Communion embraces the path of doctrinal innovation, they will be
closing the door on closer ecumenical relations. By unilaterally choosing to do
what Catholics and Orthodox have always taught is outside our common tradition,
they would be choosing the path of division.
That has already become dramatically evident. I remember being at the
opening ceremonies of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 in
By the time of John Paul's death in 2005, matters had deteriorated
significantly. The original draft for his funeral called for the Archbishop of
Canterbury and the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople to offer joint prayers
at the conclusion of the funeral Mass, but it never came off. By then it was
thought more doubtful, above all in the eyes of the Orthodox, that the Anglican
Communion was still in the historic tradition of the apostolic faith.
The
The see of
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16.
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8494
Mainline Renewal Leaders Support the Witness of the GAFCON in
Posted
by David Virtue on 2008/6/26
Mainline Renewal Leaders Support the Witness of the
Global Anglican Future Conference in
Christian Newswire
une 23, 2008
A number of prominent Mainline renewal leaders affiliated with the Association
for Church Renewal, voiced their support for the witness of the historic
meeting of Anglican Bishops, led by those from the 'global south' who are
calling for reformation of the Anglican Communion. In particular, we are
voicing support for the foundation document of this historic meeting entitled,
"THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE." The Anglican Communion, which
includes the Episcopal Church in the
According to Association for Church Renewal President, David Runnion-Bareford,
"THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE," published by the Global Anglican
Future Conference (GAFCON) of over 300 bishops from around the world, is an
historic call to revival, renewal and reformation for the whole church.
"God has surely raised up this leadership from
Renewal Leadership Statement:
In the unity that is ours in the Holy Spirit, we stand in solidarity with the
witness of you, our Anglican brothers and sisters gathered in
"In the
Rev. David Runnion-Bareford, President Association for Church Renewal
Rev. Mark Chavez, President Word Alone Network, ELCA (Lutheran)
Faye Short, Exec. Director Renew, United
Rev. Thomas Lambrecht, Bd. Chmn. Good News, United
Sara Anderson, President Bristol House Publishers
Rev. Robert Thompson, President Faithful & Welcoming, UCC
David Stanley, Chmn. Steering Comm. United Methodist Action
Rev. Vernon Stoop, Exec. Dir. Focus Renewal Ministries,
Dr.
Rev. Chuck Huckaby, Reformationucc.org
---Rev. David Runnion-Bareford is President, Association for Church
Renewal. Renewall.acr@gmail.com
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